RAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took a swipe at the opposition, saying several non-BJP state governments cooperated with the Centre in the fight against CPI (Maoist), but the Congress did not support anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh. He also lauded security forces for transforming Bastar.
Shah dismissed the long-held narrative that Maoism grew due to a lack of development. Instead, he asserted that Naxalism was the very barrier preventing development. To bridge this decades-old gap, an initiative named the "Veer Shaheed Gundadhur Seva Dera", will be rolled out. Out of nearly 200 security camps established to fight insurgents, the government will immediately convert 70 camps (roughly one-third) into comprehensive administrative and welfare centres.
The 'Seva Dera' is designed to deliver governance directly to the doorsteps of tribal households, featuring All-in-one digital services like access to banking, Aadhar registration and 371 state and central welfare schemes through Common Service Centres. They will also establish primary schools, Anganwadi centres, and affordable ration shops under one roof. For women empowerment, units will be set up for tailoring training, rice milling, and tamarind processing to provide livelihood avenues for tribal women.
Focusing on sustainable wealth creation, Shah revealed a major push into the cooperative dairy sector. In partnership with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Chhattisgarh government plans to provide every tribal citizen with a cow and a buffalo.
“A massive dairy infrastructure network will be operational across the Bastar division within the next six months,” he stated.
Through these initiatives, Shah said that the average income of Bastar's citizens is projected to increase six-fold within the next five years.
He informed that the central government has already constructed over 1,221 km of roads costing Rs 20,255 crore, set up thousands of mobile towers, and opened 269 Eklavya model residential schools in the previously Maoist-affected regions.
Shah chaired the Central Zonal Council meeting at Bastar
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister chaired 26th edition of Central Zonal Council meeting at Jagdalpur (Bastar).
Union Home Minister lauded the collective efforts of the member states and the host government, declaring that the strategically vital Central Zone has now become entirely Naxal-free and devoid of inter-state or centre-state disputes.
The high-level forum saw the convergence of Chief Ministers Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), and Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), alongside top-tier central and state administrative officials.
Highlighting the region’s massive economic weight, rich in minerals, forests, and grain reserves, Shah praised the coordinated leadership that brought an end to Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in Bastar.
Emphasising the strengthening of India’s federal structure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah presented a comparative look at the council’s growing efficiency. Zonal Council meetings jumped from just 11 (between 2004–2014) to 32 meetings between 2014 and 2026. Standing Committee meetings rose 2.5 times to 35 sessions. Out of 1,729 regional issues discussed during the 2014–2026 window (up from 569 in the previous decade), approximately 80% have been successfully resolved.
